Holiday 2025 Winners: Top Trending DTC Product Categories
Holiday 2025 Winners: Top Trending DTC Product Categories
Shopify’s mid-sized DTC brands concluded a record-breaking holiday season in 2025, but not every category reaped the same benefits. So, where did the dollars flow fastest, and what can operators learn for Q4 2026?
2025’s DTC Surge: A Record, but Not an Even Playing Field
The numbers speak volumes: Shopify merchants pulled in $14.6 billion during Black Friday/Cyber Monday, marking a staggering 27% increase from the previous year (Shopify). An impressive 94,900 merchants celebrated their best sales day ever (Shopify). But beneath these figures, certain verticals outshone others, posting double or even triple-digit gains.
Let’s dive into which categories triumphed, why they did, and what savvy operators can learn from their strategies to capture market share in the most competitive Q4 on record.
Beauty & Personal Care: Still the Q4 MVP
For those in beauty or personal care, 2025 was golden. Cosmetics and skincare continued their multi-year dominance, ranking among the hottest Shopify categories for BFCM (Shopify). Why? This sector thrives on social virality, affordable luxury, and gift-ability. TikTok can turn a cleanser into a sellout overnight. When “self-care” merges with “gifting,” beauty brands catch the tailwinds.
Even traditional retailers noticed, expanding shelf space to ride the wave (Who What Wear). Winning operators didn’t just splurge on short-term promos; they meticulously prepared months in advance, orchestrated influencer campaigns, and launched limited-edition bundles to drive urgency.
Grace Lindsay
“The ones that beat holiday revenue year after year don’t outspend; they out-prepare.”
– Sabir Semerkant, DTC growth advisor (LinkedIn)
Sabir Semerkant
The takeaway for beauty founders? Lean into your calendar, build hype before Q4, and ensure you’re ready to fulfill when demand surges.
Fashion & Activewear: Athleisure Wins the Comfort Wars
Apparel was another standout, particularly comfort-centric categories. Shopify data highlighted clothing—especially athleisure, tops, and pants—as BFCM bestsellers (Shopify). The post-pandemic era cemented “comfort is king” not as a trend but as a standard.
DTC fashion operators thrived by getting creative: early promotions, influencer partnerships, limited-edition releases, and robust omnichannel strategies, such as TikTok Shop flash sales and Instagram collaborations, all delivered results (Direct To Consumer).
For those in this space, "comfort gifting"—think matching sweats, premium leggings, and sneakers—moved swiftly. For 2026, prioritize channels that drive real-time product movement and leverage community-driven drops to ignite FOMO.
Health & Wellness: From Niche to Gifting Mainstream
Health and wellness gifts reached peak popularity as consumers focused on self-improvement and recovery. From smartwatches to home gym equipment, wellness tech, and premium supplements, demand soared.
Mastercard’s Economic Institute notes nearly a 30% YoY increase in spending on health and fitness brands, with almost a quarter of annual purchases happening in Q4 (US Chamber of Commerce). Sleep, in particular, emerged as a “wellness status symbol,” driving sales in smart mattresses, blue-light glasses, and calming tech (Shopify).
Mark Hamstra
Winning brands excelled with strong social proof and a “community-first” marketing approach. DTC founders who timed customer testimonials and resolution-themed bundles for the holiday period saw significant Q4 lifts, proving that wellness has become a core pillar of e-commerce (Shopify). For 2026, continue emphasizing education, value-led bundles, and “gift of health” positioning.
Pet Products: The Holiday Gifting Tailwind
Pet brands enjoyed a phenomenal Q4. Nearly a third of U.S. consumers now purchase holiday gifts for their pets (AP News), with DTC founders seeing inventory fly off the shelves thanks to custom beds, gourmet treats, and influencer-driven “pet parent” content.
LEANNE ITALIE
Premium pet wellness products—such as dog supplements and pet-safe CBD—were particularly sought after, highlighting the crossover between human and pet wellness trends (Shopify). For those in this niche, don’t underestimate the repeat value of pet buyers or the virality of user-generated content. Savvy operators are already planning next year’s “advent calendar for cats.”
Toys & Games: The ‘Kidult’ Revolution
One of the most disruptive categories in 2025? Toys and games, but not just for kids. Adult “kidults” spurred a 9% YoY rise in toy sales across the U.S. and Europe, now accounting for over a third of toy industry volume in certain markets (Le Monde).
For DTC brands, this translated to unprecedented demand for board games, intricate puzzles, collectibles, and nostalgia-driven kits. Some forward-thinking operators even introduced “for grown-ups” sections on their sites, catering to the stress-relieving, dopamine-seeking, treat-yourself crowd (Le Monde). The lesson for founders? Don’t overlook the 40-year-old buying LEGO for themselves—they have disposable income, and they’re eager to spend it.
The Operator’s Toolkit: Human Touch, Real-Time Wins
Across all categories, top-performing DTC brands didn’t just rely on automation—they connected. A key differentiator? Real human touch during critical moments, especially during high-stakes periods like BFCM. Consider cart recovery: while many brands depend on automated flows, astute operators use platforms like LiveRecover, an SMS cart recovery tool powered by real human agents.
Here’s how it works: When a shopper abandons their cart, LiveRecover’s team personally reaches out via text, addresses objections, and helps close the sale—live, not through a bot. The outcome? Conversion rates and revenue recovery that frequently surpass automated SMS or email, all while maintaining the trust and brand experience that founders prioritize.
For operators, LiveRecover isn’t just a tool—it’s a strategic advantage, demonstrating how merging automation with genuine human interaction provides leverage during the most competitive sales windows (Learn more).
Founder Takeaways for 2026
What should DTC founders focus on based on 2025’s success?
- Embrace beauty and self-care if your product fits; this category’s appetite for affordable luxury is only growing.
- Ride the wellness wave. Even outside “classic” health niches, highlight stress relief, sleep, and self-betterment in your positioning.
- Don’t ignore pet parents—they’re loyal, repeat buyers, and love to share.
- Lean into nostalgia and hobbyist joy. Adults want play, and they’re willing to pay for it.
- Prepare early and execute with precision. The best never win by outspending; they win by out-preparing and out-connecting (LinkedIn).
In short: If you meet customers where they are—speaking to their desire for joy, health, comfort, and connection—2026 could be your brand’s breakout year. Start building the playbook now.
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